Photomasks can be used in a variety of lithographic processes for the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs) and other microelectronic components. However, there are a number of non-trivial challenges associated with photomask design, and continued process scaling will tend to exacerbate such problems.
For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Furthermore, as will be appreciated in light of this disclosure, the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale or intended to limit the claimed invention to the specific configurations shown. For instance, while some figures generally indicate straight lines, right angles, and smooth surfaces, an actual implementation of the disclosed techniques may produce less than perfect straight lines, right angles, and some features may have surface topology or otherwise be non-smooth, given real world limitations of processing equipment and materials. In short, the figures are provided merely to show example structures.